First night in Dubai

Between the salty Arabian Gulf and the windy deserts of Arabia lies an enclave of 21st century proportions. By the time I touched down and got through customs, sans luggage, night had fallen on the hazy Emirati metropolis. Upon exiting the airport, we followed Sheikh Zayed Road, the most famous road in the country, along a fantasy path.

To say that the grandeur of Las Vegas meets the architectural altitude of New York is not even an ample description of what meets the eyes. A row of 60-story buildings rises from the earth on either side for miles. Across a 14-lane bridge, we entered another, but no less impressive, district. To the left, 24-hour construction crews work on a metro line that will further the development of Dubai.

Under the lights of the twin Emirates Towers, housing the Dubai International Financial Center, the most impressive feat of the Dubai skyline comes into view. The Burj Dubai, already the world’s tallest building, comes into (partial) view. I say partial because, sitting in the passenger seat, I had to strain to see the pinnacle of the monstrous tower still under construction.

The final landmark we passed en route to our accommodations was the hotel Burj al-Arab, which is shaped like a giant sail rising from the sea  truly a landmark for the 21st century. My observation from my first night in Dubai is, in short, a stunning display of modernity on a sand-laden coast that was once a center of nomadic trade routes.